Sheet-conveying machine.



No. 759,213. PATENTED MAY 3, 1904. T. G. DEXTER.

SHEET CONVEYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1903.

1m MODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TALBOT G. DEXTER, OF PEARL RIVER, NEWV YORK.

SHEET-CONVEYING MACHINE.

SPIE (JIFIGA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. '7 59,213, dated May 3, 1904,.

Application filed January 10, 1903. Serial No. 188,493. (No model.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TALBOT (J. DEXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Conveying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in sheet-feeding mechanisms for conveying successive sheets of paper from an automatic paper-feeding machine to a printingpress, foldingmachine, ruling-machine, or other machine designed to operate upon sheets of paper.

In an application filed by me on the 1st day of November, 1902, Serial N 0. 129,679, Ihave disclosed a sheet-conveying machine for conveying sheets from an automatic paper-feeding machine to a printing-press or other machine, which includes the combination of a series of sheet-carrying tapes operating upon receiving and delivery tape-rollers, upper feed-tapes for assisting in the feeding operation, and plates or fingers arranged adjacent 'to the delivery-roller of the lower tapes and adapted to deflect sheets from the lower tapes and press them upwardly into frictional engagement with the upper tapes. This construction is for the purpose of affording an effective means for feeding sheets from their rear edges at the moment the sheet is reaching registered position. In this construction the sheets are positively moved forward by the engagement of the upper tapes and sheet-sustaining fingers until the rear edge of the sheet slips off of the forward ends of the sheet-sustaining fingers and drop to the supportingbars, which rest in a slightly lower plane for supporting the sheet in registered position. In experimenting upon these sheet-conveying machines I have discovered that in certain cases there is a tendency of the rear edges of the sheets to lag slightly as they drop pastthe forward ends of the sheet-sustaining lingers, and to overcome this tendency I have produced my present improvement, which consists in providing two or more small taperollers a little beyond the large delivery taperoller of the under sheet-carrying tapes, said small tape-rollers being arranged in position to support the advancing sheets in frictional contact with the upper carrying-tapes. I employ the sheet-supporting lingers of my above named application in addition to the auxiliary tape-rollers referred to, Auxiliary tapes may be run from the main delivery tape-roller of the lower tapes around these auxiliary taperollers; but I prefer to lengthen out two or more of the main sheet-carrying tapes to allow them to run over the main delivery taperoller and around the auxiliary tape-rollers. The value of this improved structure is due to the fact that the rear edge of the sheet which passes over the extended portions of the main tapes or over the auxiliary tapes is positively fed down from this into the registering plane when its rear edge reaches the auxiliary taperollers. In this construction I retain the advantages of the conveyer covered by my abovenamed application and in addition obviate the danger of the lagging of the rear edges of the sheets upon the sheet-sustaining fingers. With this improved construction I am enabled to crowd the sheet slightly against the front registering-gages, say from one-eighth to seveneighths of an inch, the rear edge of the sheet being positively fed down into the registering plane and allowed to spring back when it releases itself from the extended portions of the carrying-tapes. I also prefer to employ in this improved construction the rear sheetregistering plates or gages which form with the front registering-gages parallel surfaces, between which the sheets may be laterally registered by the side registering mechanism.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, 1 will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, and afterward point out the novelty more particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a detail 1011- gitudinal sectional elevation of my improved sheet-conveying mechanism. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of part of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation of the extended tapes and the rear register- 1nggages.

1 represents the impression-cylinder, 2 the front gage, 3 the under guides, and 4 the feedboard, of a printing-press.

5 represents part of the frame of an automatic paper-feeding machine.

6 is the feeding-machine tape-roller, driven by a part of the feeding-machine in a manner well understood.

10 represents the side bars of the frame which supports the sheet-conveying mechanism which carries the successive sheets from the feeding-machine to the printing-press or other machine. These bars 10 are pivotally mounted upon the feeding-machine frame at 11 and carry upon their forward ends the side brackets 12, upon which are mounted the side registering mechanism (not shown) and the press-controlling devices, which are partly indicated, but not described in detail, since they do not form any part of my present invention. These side brackets 12 rest upon the feed-board 4 and also carry the metal plates or bars 14, which form an incline leading from the delivery feed-roller 13 to the gage end of the feed-board.

15 indicates one of a pair of adjustable brackets or carriages which are mounted to slide on the side bars 10 of the conveyerframe for adjusting them toward and away from the front gages of the printing-press or other machine to which the sheets are to be fed.

is the delivery tape-roller of the series of endless sheet-carrying tapes. This roller 20 is freely journaled in the brackets or carriages 15 and extends from side to side of the machine.

indicates one of a second pair of adjustable brackets or carriages mounted upon the bars 10 and adjustable longitudinallythereof. These brackets or carriages 25 are provided with set-screws 26 for securing them in the desired adjusted position. A tape-roller 27 is freely journaled in the brackets or carriages 25 and extends from side to side of the machine.

30 and 31 are tape-rollers suitably journaled in the supporting-frame for guidingthe endless tapes. The endless tapes 35 pass from the feed tape-roller 6 over the guide tape-roller 31, thence forwardly to the delivery tape-roller 20, thence rearwardly to the guide tape-roller 30, and again forwardly to the adj ustable taperoller 27, and from there back to the taperoller 6. By adjusting the carriages 15 and 25 the carrying portion of the endless tapes 35 may be extended or shortened toward or away from the front gages 2 of the press. This is for the purpose of adjusting the space between the delivery tape-roller 20 and the front gages to suit different sizes of sheets which are to be fed. The adjustment of these carriages also affords a convenient means for tightening or loosening the conveyer-tapes.

. is a tape-roller journaled in the feedingmachine frame 5 and driven in any Suitable manner, such as by means of a belt or tape 41 leading from the tape-roller 6. 42 is another tape-roller, supported from bracket-arms 43, extending up from the side brackets 12 adjacent to the register end of the feed-board.

45 indicates the upper set of endless feedtapes which are supported upon the tape-rollers 40 and 42 and extend from end to end of the sheet-conveying machine parallel with the carrying portion of the convey'er-tapes 35. The purpose of tapes 45 is to insure the frictional engagement of the carrying-tapes 35 with the successive sheets.

Parallel sheet-supporting bars are mounted at their opposite ends upon rods 51 and 52, extending between the side bars 10 of the conveyer-frame. These main sheet-supporting bars 50 are formed with upper angular faces and rest in a plane lower than the feed.

ing plane of the sheet-carrying portion of the conveyer-tapes 36, as set forth in my application filed October 25, 1902, Serial No. 128,715. These bars 50 extend from a point adjacent to the delivery feed-roller 13 back to a point a little beyond the limit of rearward adjustment of the delivery tape-roller 20 of the sheet-convcyin g tapes. These feed-supporting bars 50 are adapted to receive the successive sheets from the conveying-tapes and support them during the final gaging operation.

A series of transfer-fingers 55, having-angular upper faces corresponding to the upper faces of the bars 50 and formed with angular grooves in their under faces to enable them to fit snugly over and slide upon the bars 50. are pivotally mounted upon a rod 56, mounted in the carriages 15. These fingers 55 move forwardly and backwardly with the carriages 15. The construction and operation of the angular transfer-fingers 55 are fully explained and claimed in my above-named application, Serial No. 128,715.

110 is one of a pair or more of sheet-supporting plates or fingers which project upwardly and forwardly from a transverse supporting rod or bar 111, which is mounted in the adjustable carriages 15. These sheet-supporting fingers 110 have forward horizontal portions which project over the delivery taperoller 20 and rest in contact with the under portion of the upper feed-tapes 45, their purpose being to lead the sheets from the carrying portion of the conveyer-tapes 35 upwardly into engagement with the upper tapes 45. These fingers effectively hold the sheets into frictional engagement with the tapes 45, so that when the rear edge of a sheet passes the delivery tape-roller 20 and is no longer propelled by the main conveyer-tapes 35 it will be entirely under the influence of the upper tapes 45.

Mounted upon the rods or bars 56 are the rearwardly and upwardly projecting bracketarms 60, carrying in their upper ends the journal-pin 61, upon which is freely journaled an auxiliary tape-roller 92. Two or more of reams these tape-rollers 62 are arranged in the ma chine, preferably one adjacent to each side of the machine. Auxiliary tapes may be run around thcdelivery-roll 20 and auxiliary rollers 62 in a manner which will be well understood without illustration; but I prefer to lengthen out two or more of the main sheetcarrying tapes 35, so as to cause said tapes to pass above the delivery tape-roller 20 and around. the auxiliary tape-roller 62 and then back under the delivery tape-roller 20. These auxiliary tape-rollers 62 are arranged just beyond the ends of the sheet deflecting and sustaining lingers 110 and are sufiiciently elevated to retain the extended carrying-tapes in frictional contact with the upper tapes 45, so that the rear edge of each sheet will be positively driven toward the registering-gages until its edge passes beyond the auxiliary taperollers 62. The extended portions of the sheetcarrying tapes operating over the auxiliary rollers positively feed down the rear edge of a sheet after its front edge has reached registered position at the front gages.

151 indicates the upwardly-extending reargage fingers, mounted upon the shaft or bar 150. These fingers 151 are bifurcated to allow them to project upwardly upon both sides of the extended portions of the sheet-carrying tapes. These rear gage-fingers 151 are to retain the sheets in longitudinal registered po sition, as explamed in my above-named application.

Having thus described my invention the following is what 1 claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. in a shcet-conveyer, the combination of the lower sheet-carrying tapes, the receiving and delivery tape-rollers over which said tapes travel, auxiliary tape-rollers arranged. beyond the main delivery tape-roller, tapes passing around said auxiliary tape-rollers, upper feeding-tapes operating in conjunction with the lower sheet-carrying tapes, and plates or lingers arranged adjacent to the delivery taperoller and adapted to press sheets upwardly into engagement with the upper tapes, substantially as set forth.

2. In a sheet-conveyer, the combination of the lower sheet-carrying tapes, the receiving delivery tape-rollers over which said tapes travel, auxiliary tape-rollers arranged beyond the main delivery tape-roller, some of said carrying-tapes being extended to pass around said auxiliary tape-rollers,upper feeding-tapes operating in conjunction with the lower sheetcarrying tapes, plates or fingers arranged adjacent to the delivery tape-roller and adapted to press sheets upwardly into engagement with the upper tapes, andsuitable sheeta'egistering gages, substantially as set forth.

TALBOT O. DEXTER.

Witnesses J GREEN, HARRY E. KNIGHT. 

